Breaking free from witchcraft curses
The Bible reminds us to use our tongues to bless others and not to curse them. Out of envy or malice, people may go to the extent of consulting witches, sorcerers, or witchdoctors to curse those whom they consider a threat or an enemy. If we suspect we have been the target of witchcraft curses (also known as hexes or spells), we can thank God that He has given His followers all power over curses in Jesus’ name.
(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 破除巫术咒诅 | 繁體中文 > 破除巫術咒詛)
James 3:10 ESV From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
Mark 7:21-22 ESV For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
Like the prophet Balaam who was willing to use his spiritual gift of prophecy to curse God’s people for a fee, there are people today that are also willing to be paid to curse or cast a spell on others through ungodly spiritual powers.
Numbers 22:4-7 NLT … So Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers to call Balaam son of Beor.. His message said: “Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me. Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse.” Balak’s messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel.
Signs of witchcraft curses
It can be near impossible to prove if we have been the subject of such hexes unless the Holy Spirit clearly tells us so. Another possible indication is if we suddenly come under several unpleasant conditions out of the blue and all at once – and know people in our family, social or work circles that consult witches, sorcerers, mediums, or fortune tellers for “help”.
The likelihood is even higher if they bear a grudge against us because we are seen to be a threat or an obstacle. The Bible describes such people’s throats as open graves that are filled with poison and bitterness. They have no fear of God. This is one likely reason that God Himself warns us not to associate with unbelievers who practice idolatry and not to have anything to do with their spiritual defiling ways and things.
Romans 3:13-18 ESV “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 NLT And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
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Possible signs of a hex on someone |
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1. Physical sensations |
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2. Lack of control |
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3. Objects |
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4. Series of setbacks |
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IMPORTANT: While indicative, the signs above do not always point to witchcraft curses. People can also experience some of the same symptoms by cursing themselves, hating other people, committing murder, rejecting themselves, or wishing to die. As such, we need to be careful to exercise spiritual discernment and ask God for His guidance for the real cause of such occurrences.
Deuteronomy 30:15 NIV See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.
James 3:8-9 ESV but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
Can believers suffer from witchcraft curses?
The Bible is filled with promises of God’s goodness and protection. We can always cry out to God to rescue us from our enemies(See Psalm 91).
At the same time, God’s Word is also filled with warnings to be on the alert for Satan who seeks to destroy all that is good. If we are automatically under protection at all times, this warning would not be necessary.
1 Peter 5:8 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Every believer is entitled to a protective spiritual armour of God that we are to put on so that we can withstand Satan’s schemes.
Ephesians 6:11-12 ESV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
But if we fail to put on the full armour or unwittingly give the devil a foothold through sin, we may be vulnerable to spiritual curses. In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul lists our anger, dishonesty, abusive language, bitterness, and slander as some examples of sin. God will not listen to the cries of those who have harboured unconfessed sin, have refused to follow His will, or participated in witchcraft or idol worship. All these are various forms of spiritual rebellion, turning away from God’s grace and protection.
Ephesians 4:26-32 ESV Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Psalm 66:18 NLT If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
John 9:31 ESV We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
Isaiah 1:14-16 NLT I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.
When we turn to God with all our hearts and resist the devil’s schemes, no witchcraft curse can work against us. Curses cannot take root without reason.
James 4:7 ESV Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Proverbs 26:2 NTL Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
Breaking witchcraft curses
Through Jesus Christ, no weapon of witchcraft can prevail against us. Our Saviour has already settled the matter by taking on all curses on Himself by dying on the cross on our behalf so that we may live through Christ’s power and resurrection.
Isaiah 54:17,55:6-7 ESV No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”… “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Galatians 3:13 ESV Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
Moreover, God is the One who fights our battles. We simply need to stay calm, take up every piece of our armour, resist the temptation to take matters into our own hands, and stand against the “fiery arrows” of witchcraft. Notice how the Bible calls us repeatedly to simply to stand (Ephesians 6:11,13,14), not to fight or flee.
Exodus 14:14 NLT The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
Romans 12:19 ESV Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:13-18 NLT Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
1. Helmet of salvation: Remember we already have victory
We need to remember that Jesus Christ has already defeated and disarmed Satan.
1 John 3:8 ESV …The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
2. Breastplate of righteousness: Remain blameless in Christ
It is an important spiritual discipline to put on the righteousness of Jesus daily, by confessing and repenting of our sins in Jesus’ name. When we are the target of other people’s sin, it is easy to forget to examine our own hearts for sin too. Let us ensure our motives are pure before God so that our prayers will be answered.
Proverbs 16:2 ESV All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.
James 4:3 ESV You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Have we done something unkind that someone would bear a grudge against us? Do we condemn and revile those whom we think have placed a curse on us?
Matthew 7:2-5 ESV For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
To ensure the devil has no foothold in our lives, let us:
- Confess our own judgements and sins
- Forgive those who have cursed us
- Bless the person/s who cursed us
- Cut ungodly soul ties with them and their witches or sorcerers
- Renounce the words and curses spoken over us in Jesus’ name
- Cancel out their effect in Jesus’ name
- Speak the truth over ourselves by declaring God’s Word over us
- Find and destroy any pieces of paper the curses have been written on (if possible)
- Remove objects of witchcraft from our vicinity
- Command ungodly spiritual powers behind the witchcraft to leave us and not return in Jesus’ name
Romans 12:14 ESV Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Luke 6:27-28 ESV “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
3. Belt of truth: Declare God’s truth
Sometimes, we give a curse “license” to work against us by saying things such as, “I deserve to be cursed,” or “I’m always having ‘bad luck’,” “Everything keeps going wrong,” and “God isn’t helping me.” To break the power of witchcraft over us for good, we need to also repent for speaking such words of death over ourselves and revoke any unintended agreement with Satan.
Proverbs 18:21 ESV Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Whatever consequences the curse had brought, we can also declare God’s truth over ourselves. Here are some examples.
- Uncontrollable thoughts – “I take every thought captive to obey the ways of Jesus Christ and reject Satan’s accusations of shame, guilt, panic, anxiety.” | 2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
- Sleep – “I declare that God is the Master of my rest, and He blesses me to sleep in safety and soundly” | Psalm 4:8 ESV In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
- Sharp pains – “I declare that my body belongs to Jesus Christ and I reject all pain in Jesus’ name.” | 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
4. Shield of faith: Dispel attacks and advance in our faith
The enemy’s tactics are often aimed at stopping us from advancing in our faith.
We should not allow our experiences with curses to dampen our love for and faith in God. In fact, our deliverance from curses is a good reason to praise and glorify Him all the time. Otherwise, we allow Satan to win the battle for our hearts even after the curse has been removed.
Matthew 22:36-38 ESV “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
5. Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word: Take up our authority against ungodly spiritual powers
A sword is useless to us unless we learn how to use it. Similarly, we need to know God’s Word as tutored by the Holy Spirit, so as to know how to destroy the enemy’s schemes against us.
John 8:31-32 ESV So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
1 Corinthians 2:13 ESV And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
Because spiritual battles are only won spiritually, we need to ensure we have a close relationship with God’s Spirit so that we know how to use His Sword, which is God’s Word, powerfully and effectively.
6. Peace: Bring a message of peace where possible
In the off-chance that God gives us an opportunity to encounter the person whom we suspect has cursed us, we can overcome evil with good. Not only can we let them know that we hold no grudges against them, but we can also share the good news about Jesus Christ, the perfect Saviour who loved His enemies and paid for their reconciliation to God by dying for them on the cross.
Romans 12:21 ESV Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Romans 5:10 ESV For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
The following is a powerful testimony of how God protects us when we humble ourselves before Him and obey His commandments to love our enemies, including those who turn to witchcraft to curse us.
A testimony
“Witchcraft curses were not something I expected to encounter through work but God knew everything. Things went exactly as He planned and I learned a big lesson.
Proverbs 26:2 ESV Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.
My new boss appeared to be “Mr. Nice Guy.” He hardly said no and always thanked people with a smile. I thought God sent me to assist and serve a nice, kind hearted-man — until He showed me who my boss really is behind the scenes.
On the first day at my new workplace, I noticed that it was set up according to fengshui and had many fengshui objects. Then through a vision, the Holy Spirit showed me that my boss practises Taoism and casts many spells inside the workplace and on everyone in the office. This man wants to ensure people work like machines to bring his commercial business success. Through the occult power, he wants to ensure that his business thrives and brings in the wealth and power that he desires.
On the second day, God showed another vision. I saw my boss casting a “dead corpse” spell on me with a high-ranking master (I heard and saw the conversation). He asked the sorcerer to do anything he could to enslave me to obey all his commands and if possible, to also give over my body. The master tried a few times but failed. I heard someone say, “The spell did not work because no one can “curse what God has blessed.” Both felt vexed and didn’t know what to do. I praised God for revealing such things so I knew how to pray against and be protected from all the sorcerer’s spells or rituals. But God also warned me that they will keep trying.
On the third day, the spells they cast started to take effect on me. In the afternoon, I kept hearing chanting sounds in my head, I began to have headaches and did not feel well. After a while, it subsided so I continued to work.
On my way home, I heard the same chanting again but this time, my headache got worse. I couldn’t focus during the fellowship group I attended. During prayer, a friend said that the Holy Spirit revealed that my boss had spiritual pride and set himself up as an idol in the workplace. Witchcraft at the workplace makes people a bit zombie-like. After we prayed to cut soul ties with my boss, his Taoist master, my workplace, and all the fengshui objects, I felt better immediately. They also encouraged me to forgive my boss and his master, bless them, and cut ungodly soul ties with them every day.
As I continued to pray on my own that same night, God revealed that the office is more defiled than I think. There are many sins that had taken place. In that vision, I saw my boss wearing Taoist clothes (master ranking) and holding a sword made with many ancient coins to perform a ritual. He was walking through the office space holding an iron bow and was chanting. There were others following him. They looked like his disciples. What I “saw” was the Taoist opening ceremony to dedicate and consecrate the office to Taoist spirits.
The visions from the Holy Spirit gave me a chill. How can a person be so different in public vs. in private? He even volunteers in many Christian ministries and had attended church for years. This Bible verse explains how I felt very well; “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15 ESV
I thanked God for His revelations and protection. I thought things would go back to normal but they didn’t because at this point, they consulted an even higher-ranking sorcerer to curse me because their spells were not taking effect on me.
One night while walking home (thank God I was only 10 minutes away from home), I started to hear the chanting again. I had a sudden headache and felt really lightheaded, dizzy, and nauseated. I wanted to throw up. When I got home, I had to sit down as I couldn’t stand up. My body began to feel a strong heat. My belly was really hot and it turned red. I saw in a vision that my boss was trying to “burn” me in a fire bowl ritual and “stab” me with a sword. Rashes developed on both my legs. I lay down on the floor and cried because of the discomfort. I was desperately asking God for help. Then just as suddenly, I was free from the curse again.
But this time, I began to feel paranoid. What else were they going to try?
After my first week, my new boss and I terminated my contract, as we could not reach an agreement on the final terms. I was relieved to be released — or so I thought.
This boss still did not stop pursuing the idea to place spells and curses on me. But now, I knew I was no longer just the boss’s target but also his master’s master’s target.
Their spells and sorcery against me got stronger and stronger. My body was constantly in pain and I had many dark thoughts and feelings. I had nightmares every night. In my dreams, I kept seeing images suggesting or telling me that “life is hopeless” and “I should die.” I always saw myself in hopeless and desperate situations. There were even voices during the day telling me to run into the traffic, jump off a building etc.
I began living in fear but God rescued me every time they tried to cast another spell on me. My fear would go down suddenly, but not because of my faith. It was because of God’s salvation. That gave me a strong confidence in my God. The experience reminded me of the battle between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. God’s glory came down on them and Elijah won mightily. I knew my God is more powerful.
But one day, I began to have an extreme headache. It felt like someone was holding a nail and hammer, pounding it into my head. The pain was so unbearable. I had been fighting back for a whole week and I was really tired and exhausted, so I reached out to my fellowship group for help. As we prayed together, the Holy Spirit showed me that it was my own sins and impure heart that had given the Taoist masters the foothold they needed to launch their attacks.
The Holy Spirit also gave my fellowship leader the words, “calculative”, “hatred”, “lust” and “masturbation”.
I confessed that I had been angry at God, that He would send me to this workplace and not protect me. I had been calculating how He had wronged me.
Whenever I was under attack, I didn’t go to God to confess my anger and resentments because I thought, “I am Your child, how can You let this happen to me? What sort of Father does that to His children?” So, I just kept self-talking to myself about “educating” or “preaching” myself not to judge and not to be angry. I relied on my own flesh rather than on the Holy Spirit and the power of God. That was my first and biggest mistake. God wanted me to see that I actually judged and despised Him.
My hatred towards the attacks turned into a hatred towards the boss and his masters. This resentful judgment towards God, plus my rebellious attitude, spiritual pride, and judgments towards the boss led me to be vulnerable to the attacks.
I became very blind to my insincere spiritual “performance”. Desperately wanting to get out of the pain and suffering from the hexes from my boss, I “forgave” and “blessed” those men many times — but it didn’t work because God knew I just wanted to get out of the attacks and not genuinely love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me.
Matthew 5:44 ESV But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Not being able to resist the urge to masturbate also opened the door for Satan to attack. I had defiled the temple of the Holy Spirit. I did not know and did not expect that this act can allow the spells to take effect on me. I deeply regretted it and it taught me to take sins more seriously. There are reasons why God tells us to resist temptations at all costs (Matthew 5:30).
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Matthew 5:30 ESV And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
I began to see that God does not want to hurt me. He wants to use this experience to show me that there are still areas where I am not humble enough. These are the areas I allow myself to be vulnerable and an easy target for Satan’s attack.
I began to see that if my heart is pure and my thoughts are loving, then those spells would not have a foothold to take effect.
This experience taught me to humble myself to seek God and seek other believers for support. It showed me that’s why we need community, that’s why we need to go to God and ask Him to show us the truth about our hearts. I thought I did all the “right” things because I repented, forgave, and blessed — but I did it with the wrong motives. Most importantly, I need to be humble enough to admit my wrongs and make my heart right with God.
James 4:3 ESV You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
My fellowship leader suggested I ask God to show me the truth about my boss and his Taoist masters. The Holy Spirit showed me that all of them are in bondage and in fear. They desire power and importance. Whenever they feel they are losing that, they turn to spells and rituals to get assurance and to feel significant again. It is like a drug that they turn to. They were not healed from their wounds. The hurt they went as boys growing up made them desire to feel big and important.
After that revelation, my perspective changed. It was no longer me vs. them. Their bondage began to grieve me as Jesus grieves for them. We are all sinners and we are all hurting. My heart changed and my perspective changed. I was able to truly forgive and truly want to bless them so that they can be healed and free from bondage. God is so much better than that occult power they are relying on!
Through this experience, God taught me about His love and also helped me purge out things that aren’t pleasing in His eyes and that do me more harm than good.
Praise God the dark thoughts and feelings have died. They were crucified on the cross the moment I repented. Thank God I don’t have any more headaches and images that suggest that I should end my life. I feel joy and I feel like myself again. Although I did not understand why I had to go through all this at the beginning, I can conclude it was a great experience because my heart got to be purified by God.”
Philippians 4:8 ESV Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Also, see testimony: Jesus frees counsellor from shamanic curses
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